Pasteurizer.



PATBNTED APR. 1o, 1906. c. H. Low. PASTEURIZER. APPLICATION FILED FEB-7, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 2.

CHARLES H'. LOEW, OF LAKEW'OOD, HIO.

PIASTEUIQIZER.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented April 10, 1906,

Application filed February 7,1905. Serial No. 244,578.

To all whom zit-may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES I-I. Losw, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Lakewood, in the county of Cuyahoga and State ofOhio, have invented -certain new and use- -ul Improvements in Pasteurizers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatusfor the pasteurization of beer in bottles, and its novelty consists in the construction and adaptation of the parts and in the means em- AIBL" ployed to effectuate the purpose desired.

The pasteuriz'ation of beer in bottles is accomplished if the beer can be maintained a sufficient length of time--say from about twenty to thirty minutesv-at a temperature, say, of about 14:5o Fahrenheit, which will prevent the further development ofthe yeast 'in the beer. The higher temperature must be avoided, as it cooks the beer, and a lower temperature'is not efficient.

Beer has been usually pasteurized of late years by conveying the bottles either singly or in groups through hot water. New it must be remembered that beer is bottled usually at a temperature of 36o Fahrenheit or thereabout. Consequently conveying Athe bottles directly .into water oi' the necessarily much higher pasteurizing temperature causes much breakage. Breakage underthis circumstance means not only the direct loss of i thebeerin the bottle and the loss of the bottle itself, but it also means the contamination ofthe water used as the pasteurizing medium with the acid contained in. the beer, which rusts the iron tanks and other parts in which these operations are carried on.

ttempts have been made to prevent such breakage by preheating the bottles before they are placed in the heated bath; but after 'all there is always the' line of juncture be tween the body of liquid and the air above it and always atime when the bottlei `1s only .partly immersed, and itis at this point where the danger lies 4and where breakage occurs. A similar danger-point exists when the bottles emerge from the heated bath into a cooler atmosphere.

I have had much experience in this art,`

and I have discovered that when the bottles filled with the comparatively cold beer are brought into the presence of a warm vapor, even although it benot much warmer than the temperature of the beer, a ne iilm of moisture immediately forms on the outsideof the y bottles,l and if a much War-:ner fluid is then brought into contact with the outside of such bottles they no not break, being protected py the flm of condensed vapor on their sur- "ace The purpose oi my invention is to over-- come these difiiculties, and I do so by the simple and efficient means which forms the subjectanatter of this application and which consists, briefly, oi' a closed chamber into which the bottles are introduced and in which they remain at rest during the operation; means for supplying,` thereto a spray oi' water directed to fall upon the bottles in a line rain; means for gradually raisin(r the temperature of the sprayed water until the desired as=` teurizing temperature is reached in the bottles means for maintaining the said temperature during a pro er length of time, and means for then gra ually decreasing the temperature of the spray to coolthebottles, so that they may be safely handled.

It also consists of' suitable appliances and adjuncts necessary to the operation and control of the means stated.

In the drawings there is illustrated a pre ferred form of my apparatus.

Figure 1 is a iront elevation and `partial vertical section of the same. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in perspective of part oi one of the slideways. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transf verse section oi' one of the spraying-pipes Fig'. 4 is a vertical lon itudinal section of the apparatus; and Fig. 5 is a horizpntal sectional view on the plane of the line 5 5 oFig-1lookin downward.

n the drawings, there is illustrated a box or chamber made of any suitable size and materi al, but preferably of steel, and the walls 10 of which are lined with suitable insulatingmaterial 11, as mineral'wool. It is provided with doors 12 12 at one side and similar doors 120 120 at the other side. Along the walls are arrancfed brackets or slideways 13 13 in pairs made of angle-iron or other suitable construction and which dip slightly from one end of' the chamber to the other to facilitate the travel toward the latter of boxes con- 'taininor the beer-bottles. If deemed desirable, these slideways may be provided with little riction-rollers 14 14; but in most cases these would not be necessary. The bottom portion `15 of the chamber is a water-tank, and it is provided with an external waterga e 16.

n close proximity to this chamber and preferably conveniently arranged above it is IOS the water-tempering chamber 20. This con- 'A sists of a closed vessel of steel or other suitable material and having a capacity of several gallons., lt 1s provided with a watersupply pipe 21, having a valve 22', a steamsupply pipe 23, having a valve 24, a sprayingsystem pipe 25, having a valve 26, and a pump-pipe 27 ,x having a valve 28. The pipe 21 may be connected to any suitable source of water-supply, (not shoWn,)-as, f or instance a city main or reservoir. The pipe 23 may be connected with the exhaust system of the steam-engine or with any other source of steam under pressure. Also in close proximity to the pasteurizing-chamber is a pump (indicated at 30) which may be of any snitable form or size and which is connected to the reservoir at the bottom of the chamjiber 10 by a pipe 31 and to the water-tempering chamber by another pipe 27, above referred to. c

Arranged alongside of and partly within the pasteurizing-chamber is the spraying system. This comprises the pipe 25, leading from the chamber 20 to the vertical pipe 40, which is provided with branches 41 42 43, which are each supplied ywith suitable valves,

, .and each of which terminates in an atomicing rose or nozzle 100, whereby the water coming through the branch pipe and supplied thereto is projected upward-in the form of-a une spray.`

A thermostat of any approved form is arranged in close proximity to the water-tempering chamber and is so arranged that it controls the valve 24 of the steam-supply v pipe 23 through the lever 50, so that if the temperature of the Water in the chamber 20 rises above the point at which the thermostat is set the valve 24- will be shut to cut off the supply of steam, and'if the temperature falls below that point the valve is opened to admit the steam thereto. Such thermostats are well known, and their special construction .and mode of operation form no part of this I invention.

filled. The doors 120 are then closed. The

The boxes 60 containing the beer in bottles :areosimple trays divided into compartments, each of the latter being adapted to hold one bottle. The trays, however, must lhave a perforated bottom to permit of the water with which the bottles are sprayed to drip therefrom.v vll/'oven wire forms a good material ,for these boxes or trays; but their' form and material is unimportant solong as they hold the bottles safely and allowy the water to pass downward from them.

The mode of using the apparatus is vas follows: The doors 12 are closed and the doors 120 opened. The workmen place the boxes containing the beer-bottles upon the slideways, and theboxes slide down to the otherside of the apparatus. This is continued until the pasteurizing-chamber is all ermee valves 22 and 26 and the valves on the branch pipes 41, 42, and 43 are then opened and water from the pipe22 flows into the Water-tempering chamber 20 until it is filled and water begins to flow into the spraying system through the pipe 40 and is forced through the nozzle 400 upward and striking against the roof of the pasteurizing-chamber or the bottoms ofthe bottle-boxes, as the case may be, falls upon the bottles within the boxes in the form of a fine rain or spray and begins toaccumulate in the reservoir or tank 15, its depth being ascertained .by an inspection' of -thewater-gage 16. The valve24' is then opened and connected with the thermostat 50, and as soon as the water in the tank 15 nearly fills the latter the pump 30 is started and begins to pump the water from the tank 15 through the pipe 31, pump 30, and pipe 27 back into the water-tempering chamber 20;,

where it ils again heated by the steam and used overl agaln through the spraying system. By these steps it wil be observed that the spray first falling upon the bottles is of a temperature of the water in the supply-pipe 21. 9o

The steam warms these. gradually as it circulates through the tempering-chamber 20 until a point is reached where it is kept at thetemperature desired by the action of the thermo,- stat. This latter should be set at a temperature a few degrees hi her than that at which it is desired to k'eep tllie beer in the bottles to allow for Ginevitable losses/by radiation and conduction. After the proper temperature has been maintained long enough the thermostat isdisconnected and the steam shut i off, but the pump 30 is kept in operation constantly to spray the bottles with the water, which gradually becomes cooler and finally reaches the normal temperature. The pump LOO- is then stopped. The doors 12 are then -been gradually increased until t e pasteuriz- 1rol ing temperature has been reached, and that the latter temperature-has been maintained until pasteurization has been effected, when v the temperature has been .gradually decreased. These steps, moreover, have 4been effectedin such a way as not to produce any lsudden changes in temperature, and `consequently there has occurred no breakaffe of the bottles. The bottles have remained stationary during the operation and nol power has been required to move them. The only expense attendant upon the operation is that 'izo `are small.

'skilled workman in the form and material of the apparatus without departing from its essential princi les but the apparatus above described is t e'form which in the light of my present knowledge seems preferable.

What I claim as new is- 1. An apparatus- Vfor pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteurizin -chamber, a

spraying mechanism within t e chamber, means for supplying water thereto and means for gradually heating the water so supplied without interrupting its How. v

A2. An apparatus for pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteuri'zin -fhamben a spraying mechanism within t e chamber, means for supplying water thereto and means for gradually heating the water so supplied Without interrupting its How, consisting ofia Water-tempering chamber provided with a steam-supply pipe.

An apparatus for. pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteurizing-chamber, a spraying mechanism Within the chamber, means for supplying water thereto and means for gradually heating the water so supplied Without interrupting its flow, consisting of a water-tem ering chamber provided with a steam-supp y pipe, and means, as a thermostat, adapted lto control and regulate the steam-supply. v

4. An apparatus for pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteurizing-chamber, a

spraying mechanism Within the chamber,

means for supplying Water thereto and means for gradually heating the water so supplied without interrupting its flow, until a predetermined temperature Vfor the spray is arrived at andA means for maintaining said temperaf ture a suitable length of time.

5. An apparatus for pasteirizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteurizing-chamber, av spraying mechanism Within the chamber, ymeans for supplying water thereto and means for gradually heating the water so supplied without interrupting its iiow, until a predetermined temperatureior the spray is arrived at and means for maintaining said temperature a suitable length of time, consisting of a Water-tempering chamber, a steam-supply pipe and a thermostat regulated by the temerature within the water-tempering chamrland controlling the steam-supply acccirdmg y.

6. An apparatus for pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteurizing-chamber, a

spraying mechanism within the chamber,`

gradually heating t 1e water so supplied without interrupting its ilow, means-for collecting the said water after use, and means for restoring its temperature and returning it to the spraying mechanism, consisting of a driptank, a ump, a water-tempering chamber provide with a steam-pipe.

8. An apparatus for pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteuriZing-chamber, means for supporting bottles therein, a plurality of spraying devices each arranged above a suitable number of bottles, a common' means for supplying the spraying devices With heated water and means for heating the water.

9. In an apparatus of the kind described, a pasteurizing-chamber, a lurality of spraying devices arranged one a ove another within the chamber, means intermediate for supporting the bottles under each spraying device, yeach support being adapted to allow the Water to pass throu h the same, a drip-tank at the bottom of t e chamber and means whereby the water from the drip-tank is conveyed to the spraying devices under pressure.

10. An apparatus for pasteurizing beer in bottles comprising a pasteuriZing-chamber, a spraying mechanism within the chamber, means for supplying Water thereto and means for gradually heating the water so supplied IOO Without interrupting its How, untila predep termined temperature for the spray is arrived at and means for maintaining said temperature a suitable length of time, and means for iinally reducing the tem erature.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS- H. LOEW'.I Witnesses:

FRED. H. BIERMANN, EMMA L. HAnMoN,

IIO 

